RNC KICKS OFF IN EARNEST TODAY: After storms cut short Monday’s festivities, the real show at the RNC begins today. But while lots of headlines were (rightfully) focused on the storm, there’s another logistical problem — traffic. Thanks to security concerns, a large swath of Tampa’s downtown will be closed, making travel difficult at best. Regardless, the city says its transportation network is set for the onslaught after the storm. For many attending the convention, travel difficulties started over the weekend with just getting flights into town. Ironically, the weather in Tampa wasn’t to blame — yet. A large and dangerous thunderstorm had settled over the Washington, D.C., region, forcing flights to be canceled or delayed — some by as many as four or five hours. Kathryn reports from Tampa for Pros: http://politico.pro/PVlbi6

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CONVENTION Q&A — Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore: Kathryn snagged Gilmore yesterday and talked some transportation. The former governor and current Free Congress Foundation head said Mitt Romney would take a businessman’s approach to transportation. The GOP hopeful would “assess the importance and value of transportation to the growth of the United States,” he told Kathryn in Tampa. But Gilmore and Free Congress don’t agree with Romney on everything — take Amtrak. Gilmore said FCF “generally supports” Amtrak as one among several transportation options, but he said it’s still necessary to “take a very close look at the efficiency and effectiveness of any transportation system that’s being funded.” Pros get the full story and transcript from Kathryn in Tampa: http://politico.pro/NylFXl

DISPATCH FROM TAMPA -- Transpo leaders party: Kathryn went to the Transportation Leaders Celebration at Stumps Supper Club Channelside last night. She reports it was “sponsored by at least one organization from pretty much every mode of transportation known to man (from A4A to ATA to NATCA, AAR, ABA, AGC and Maersk and many others).”

Mica-isms making a comeback? More from Kathryn: “I was greeted at the door by Mica, who immediately called for security...jokingly! When I told him that MT was expectantly awaiting a ‘Mica-ism,’ he laughed and said to tell Adam that ‘I’m just about back to normal but it may take a little shock treatment or two to get me on my normal routine. But I think you’ve got to be able to keep it light in this business.’ Done and done, Mr. Chairman.

“Mica went on to recount what was clearly a personally difficult campaign, mentioning that some things — the comment that Barbara Boxer was his ‘soul mate,’ the bill signing with Obama — were used against him by Rep. Sandy Adams in the primary campaign. ‘Anyone who knows me knows we [Boxer and Mica] are like oil and water philosophically, but we got the job done. Sometimes in politics people use things like little quips against you. It was primary season to try to damage my reputation,’ he said.”

Work the crowd: Kathryn said there were well over 100 transportation players in the crowd, including: Mica, Rep. Mike Rogers, Sen. Jim Inhofe, Rep. John Duncan, Rep. Bill Shuster and his two brothers and press secretary Gretchen Gailey, Pam Whitted of NSSGA, Peter Nonis of AAA, Clyde Hart of the ABA and an army of other lobbyists, staffers and consultants.

Busy man: Kathryn also reports that Shuster — who many think will be T&I chairman next year — was a busy man. After a brief but noisy bar-side chat, she reports that “it was clear that Shuster’s attention was in demand — as soon as we finished our chat, a throng of people descended upon him, and despite saying he was going to ‘make his way toward the door,’ he was still inching along 20 minutes later.”

Faceoff: Kathryn’s on the drink and food scene too: “Inhofe’s drink of choice: Amstel Light. Mica’s: a very modest ‘half shot’ of Jack Daniels and Coke, set atop coasters made for the event featuring a GOP elephant in the middle of a mag wheel. The attendees noshed on hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, as well as a selection of fries and nachos.”

GHOSTS OF KATRINA: The RNC goes on despite the storm, but Republicans are still nervous — they don’t want another Katrina to happen during their party. POLITICO’s Burns and Haberman have the story: http://politi.co/NymoaW

Tampa port: The Tampa Port Authority reopened for boat traffic Monday afternoon, but the ports of New Orleans, Mobile, Gulfport, Pascagoula and Fourchon are closed as Isaac approaches. Mississippi River pilots have stopped moving vessels in the Gulf region and have closed the river to deep-draft traffic until after the storm. The Port of New Orleans will remain closed through Wednesday.

Stormy: While we’ve got storms on the brain, check out this map of all hurricanes since 1851, via the Atlantic Cities: http://bit.ly/SJZRi7

LEND A HAND: Kathryn will be at the RNC all week, so if you know of any good transportation events she should check out or have a delegate/VIP that wants to talk transportation and politics, please email her at kwolfe@politico.com. Adam heads to the DNC next week, so hit him up ( asnider@politico.com) with any transportation shenanigans in Charlotte.

HIGHWAY TRUST FUND UPDATE: MT got its hands on the new HTF numbers from CBO. Their predictions, updated for MAP-21: The highway account will end FY 2012 with $8.7 billion and the transit account with $4.7 billion. “We estimate both accounts will be unable to meet obligations sometime in 2015, although the Transit Account may have some difficulties in FY 2014, depending on cash flows into and out of that fund,” wrote analyst Sarah Puro. The transit ledger shows a $500 million balance at the end of FY 2014 — and there’s some varying numbers on how much exactly of a cushion it needs to be able to meet cash-flow demands.

Earmark reprogramming not included: “These estimates do not include the effects of the reprogramming action that the administration announced last week,” Puro said of the old earmark rescission. MAP-21 led to a few minor changes in expected spending levels for the two accounts: a small increase for transit and a decrease for highways. “Also, estimated revenues have decreased as have interest rates, both affecting interest credited to the fund,” she wrote. See the chart: http://bit.ly/SJ6nFZ

ROMNEY’S CABINET: Who might be DOT secretary under President Mitt Romney? Will DOT continue the bipartisan streak? Two of the last three transportation secretaries have been from the other party — Norman Mineta under President George W. Bush and now Ray LaHood under President Barack Obama. POLITICO’s Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, with an assist from Kathryn, pass along this: “Interestingly, he would not commit to putting a Democrat in his Cabinet, although he noted that he had in Massachusetts. If he decided to include one, one possibility would be former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, perhaps as transportation secretary.” Full story: http://politi.co/MXa6NV

PAGING ALEC BALDWIN: The FAA is pulling together a group to study airlines’ policies on using laptops, iPods and other portable electronic devices on board planes — but not cellphone calls. The group, which will include representatives from industries such as technology and aviation manufacturing as well as government, will meet for six months starting this fall. The goal, according to FAA acting head Michael Huerta, is to see whether airlines “can allow more widespread use of electronic devices in today’s aircraft.” The public can offer input starting today. Read the notice: http://1.usa.gov/TjRXrv

ARMY CORPS FACING ISAAC CHALLENGE: The tropical storm barreling towards New Orleans serves as both an eerie reminder of past mistakes and an assessment of promised change. Seven years to the day that Hurricane Katrina unleashed its destruction on the Crescent City, the Army Corps of Engineers must prove that it can handle something as devastating this time. “This is the first real test of the work the Army Corps has put into the flood protection system,” said Eileen Fretz, American Rivers’ Flood Policy Director, about the $14.6 billion behemoth meant to stop the most formidable of storms — let alone Isaac. Jessica has Pros covered: http://politico.pro/PnGfvb

RENO PLANE CRASH UPDATE: The probable cause of a 2011 plane crash at a Reno air race that killed 11 people and injured 60 more was undocumented modifications to the plane, a WWII-era P-51 Mustang, NTSB said yesterday. The vintage fighter plane had undergone extensive and major modifications, almost none of which was reported to the FAA. Some of the plane’s steering equipment failed, sending it into a VIP stand of spectators at more than 500 miles per hour, prompting calls for tighter regulations of air races. http://1.usa.gov/NykJ5i

MT POLL — White House & Congress: The first convention this week means the elections are just around the corner. Who will be president come Jan. 20? And what will Congress look like? Remember, they’ll be in charge of the next transportation bill in 2014. Put aside what you want to happen or what’s best for transportation — what will the reality be? You don’t even have to show ID to vote — as long as you do it by Sunday at noon: http://bit.ly/MUDu7m

CAP BACKS ADMINISTRATION AUTO POLICIES: Dan Weiss and Jackie Weidman of the Center for American Progress have an issue brief out this morning outlining “the five major Obama administration policies that helped the auto industry and the nation” ahead of final fuel standards for 2017-2025 models expected to be issued soon. The pair argue that new standards for models through 2016 helped increase both industry jobs and auto sales, upcoming standards will dramatically lower oil use and the “Cash for Clunkers” program “helped save the auto industry.” Check it out: http://bit.ly/PlOVXe

PLEASE MAKE UP: The National Retail Federation yesterday begged the ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance to resume stalled contract talks, warning that shippers would divert cargo in days if nothing changed. “Failure to reach agreement will lead to supply chain disruptions, which could seriously harm the U.S. economy,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said, calling it a “critical time” as shippers head into the holiday season. Some, he said, have already rerouted their cargo. The negotiations, which broke down last week, affect about 14,500 dockworkers along the East and Gulf coasts.

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT funding runs out in 33 days, passenger rail policy in 399 days, surface transportation policy in 764 days and FAA policy in 1,129 days. There are 70 days before the general election and the 113th Congress convenes in 131 days.

TEPID REACTIONS TO CSA CHANGE: FMCSA’s tweaks to the CSA trucking program got some faint praise from stakeholders who said more still needs to be done. “These changes, while appreciated, point to the issue ATA has been urging FMCSA to address for some time: CSA scores are not necessarily indicative of elevated crash risk,” ATA head Bill Graves said. OOIDA, a group representing independent drivers, also praised the change — with an asterisk. “However, impatience from truckers should not be unexpected when a program has real-life consequences on professionals that know of no other way to do business but safely,” Executive VP Todd Spencer said.

CABOOSE — Subway maps: Talk about great timing — the Atlantic Cities follows yesterday’s caboose with a lengthy and fascinating article about geographical accuracy in subway maps. Yesterday we brought you the D.C. subway map to scale — which isn’t how it’s depicted by WMATA. Click through for the full read: http://bit.ly/Ro1MXT

** A message from the U.S. Travel Association: To make America competitive again, we need to be connected, to each other and the world. America has zero airports ranked in the top 25 globally, and that's more than just an embarrassment—it's a missed opportunity. Travel is critical to our country's trade balance, since it accounts for ten percent of all exports, and supports one in nine American jobs. If we're not connected through modern airports, America loses out. Investment in our country's infrastructure is an investment in connectivity, which is vital for our people, our economy, and our place on the global stage. Learn more: http://bit.ly/1QLPK5L **

Authors:

About The Author

Adam Snider is a transportation reporter for POLITICO Pro and author of Morning Transportation. He has covered transportation since 2007, joining POLITICO in 2011 to launch MT and later found the word “Mica-ism.”

Snider is a fan of all modes of transportation, though nothing beats a good silly walk. In his spare time, he can be found brewing a hoppy beer, rooting for the Nationals, watching a bad 1970s horror movie or exploring the District from his home base in Mount Pleasant.

Adam studied English and communications at Clemson University in South Carolina. His work has been featured by Nieman Journalism Lab and his snark has appeared on MSNBC. He has had several works of fiction published in literary journals and is constantly reminded of his proclamation to a fiction professor many years ago that journalism is for sellouts who abandon their creative dreams.